The six faction leaders broke apart to mobilize their forces the moment Laia left the divine realm, every corner of the domain bursting with busy, orderly activity. Ten days remained before the formal opening of the Boundless God Realm passage, and Laia had no intention of rushing her own pace.
Her vassals had endured a full decade of brutal tempering within her harsh, hellish divine domain. Whether the new fallen godlands could be seized or not mattered little to her in the moment. What mattered most was the steady growth of her subjects—more vassals meant amplified passive divine crystal income, and that alone was enough to fuel her patience.
Free of trivial realm affairs, Laia drowned herself in the Void God Network, a sprawling cosmic forum frequented by countless gods from all corners of the universe. This boundless online space was her greatest treasure trove. In the mortal world, she kept a low profile, cautious and restrained, never daring to draw undue attention. But behind the anonymity of the void network, she struck fast and sharp, seizing every opportunity to harvest exclusive techniques and secret skills.
She had long mastered the perfect tactic: humble flattery.
Every arrogant, boastful deity who paraded their powerful vassals and unique skills online craved nothing more than recognition and praise. A few well-placed compliments were all it took to make these self-assured gods let their guard down, willingly posting detailed skill diagrams, cultivation formulas, and combat tactics they deemed peerless.
All of the specialized abilities her vassals wielded today had been plundered from this very forum.
With the new realm expedition looming, Laia grew even more diligent. She spent every waking hour browsing posts, studying elite techniques, and supplementing her vassals' combat system with brand-new skills. In the meantime, she conducted intensive remedial education for her six top sovereigns and their subordinates, thoroughly popularizing knowledge of void invaders, fallen godland creatures, and the fundamental gaps between gods and vassals.
She drilled into their minds clear and concise rules. Void creatures that could invade divine realms possessed faint rule insights and divine aura; bolstered by the native power of foreign godlands, they fought on equal footing with her vassals. By contrast, void entities wandering the open void outside mortal and divine domains bore complete divine divinity, matching true gods in strength and even holding a slight environmental advantage.
The core dividing line between god and vassal was simple: divine power and rule comprehension. Once a vassal advanced far enough to grasp cosmic rules on their own, they would gain the qualifications to stand beside their god and assist in true celestial warfare.
The vassals finally understood how vast and terrifying the outer cosmos was. No longer complacent from past victories over ordinary void spawn, they threw themselves into training with redoubled fervor, determined not to waste the hard-won opportunity of the Boundless God Realm expedition.
Laia pushed herself equally hard. The three-month time limit to locate, conquer, and claim a fallen godland was tight, leaving no room for carelessness.
Another quiet day of online scrolling unfolded, and Laia resumed her usual routine of lurking and flattering to harvest skills.
A new popular post caught her eye, uploaded by a boastful anonymous deity:
"Look at my vassals—tall, mighty, and battle-hardened. Born for celestial warfare. I must be extraordinary to nurture such elite subordinates."
Beneath the post, swarms of netizens flooded the comment section with flattery. Few knew the truth hidden in a tiny corner of a distant divine realm: the so-called elite, towering vassal was nothing more than an ordinary Pigfolk unit. Having recently mastered a rare advanced skill, the simple Pigfolk had grown cocky beyond measure, sneaking onto the void forum to show off.
Basking in endless praise, the Pigfolk's head swelled with pride. Without a shred of hesitation, it uploaded the full detailed diagram of its exclusive skill.
Hiding behind her anonymous account, Laia stifled a grin, her eyes sweeping rapidly over every line and rune of the diagram. She memorized every detail in the blink of an eye, silently calculating the skill's practicality, adaptability, and potential for her own vassals.
She left a few more exaggerated compliments to fuel the poster's arrogance, then exited the post without a trace.
Her harvest for the day was abundant: seven physical augmentation arts, nine magical enhancement techniques, five advanced forging formulas, twelve stealth assassination skills, plus dozens of supplementary spell and swordsmanship disciplines.
Greedy for more gains, she immediately created a new provocative post to stir up debate:
"No vassal skill in this entire cosmos can rival this technique. Prove me wrong if you dare."
Overnight, the comment section exploded. Ninety-nine plus unread messages piled up in her background inbox, countless deities rushing to refute her claim and show off their own exclusive skills.
Staring at the surging replies, Laia curled her lips into a thoroughly satisfied smile.
Another perfect day of harvesting free cosmic knowledge.